SINGAPORE, Jan 29, 2014 - (ACN Newswire) - The Festival of Media Asia Pacific, the largest gathering of media leaders in Asia Pacific, announced the shortlist for its 2014 awards programme. The Festival of Media Asia Pacific Awards were launched to promote and reward 'best in class' media thinking and provide a platform for brands, agencies, and media owners to showcase their work. The awards recognize work across 18 different categories and take place at the close of the Festival of Media Asia Pacific on 18 March 2014 at the Capella Singapore. A full list of the shortlisted entries can be downloaded from the Festival of Media Asia Pacific website at www.festivalofmedia.com/asia-pacific/awards.

The awards shortlist, which is made up of 118 entries from 12 countries, was judged by a 44 member strong panel of senior agency heads and global brand marketers. The final winners will be selected in March by a select panel of over 19 final judges chaired by Andrew Knott, Vice-President - Media and Digital, McDonald's Corporation.

This year, advertising agencies made their mark in the shortlist alongside media heavyweights such as MediaCom, Mindshare, Starcom MediaVest Group, and UM, each of whom has a double digit number of shortlisted entries. Advertising agencies accounted for nearly 10 percent of the shortlisted entries for the region and agencies such as DraftFCB and Leo Burnett featured on the shortlist for the first time, joining the likes of Ogilvy & Mather and BBH.

Since their launch in 2011, the Festival of Media Asia Pacific Awards have seen a strong growth in the number of entries received each year. This year, nearly double the amount of entries were received from Malaysia than in previous years, while Singapore put forward an impressive performance with 2.5 times more entries from the city-state making it to the shortlist as compared to 2013.

Australia, China, Hong Kong and India all performed well on the 2014 shortlist, together with the Philippines and Pakistan which feature on the shortlist for the first time, illustrating the truly regional nature of the awards.

Commenting on the awards shortlist, Charlie Crowe, Founder of Festival of Media and Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of C Squared said, "Every year I'm amazed at both the quality and quantity of the awards submissions that we receive for the Festival. This year the competition is tough with more entries than ever before, showcasing excellent work from across the region. I'm looking forward to the awards show, where only the best of the best will take home a trophy."

The award-winning Festival of Media Asia Pacific will take place from 16-18 March 2014 in Singapore and will feature an exciting speaker line-up as well as the return of the Rising Star Award in partnership with the Starcom MediaVest Group, celebrating the brightest young media talent in Asia. For more information on the 2014 agenda, the awards programme, and delegate registrations, visit the Festival of Media Asia Pacific 2014 website at www.festivalofmedia.com/asia-pacific/.

About Festival of Media Asia Pacific

Festival of Media launched in Venice in 2007 and the brand now has five major events across the world, attended by 4,000 senior delegates and receiving over 4,000 Awards entries. Follow the conversation as it unfolds live on Twitter @FestivalOfMedia and don't forget to use the hashtag #FOMA15, or visit www.festivalofmedia.com/asia-pacific.

About C Squared

C Squared launched the Festival of Media in Venice in 2007 and the brand now has four major events across the world, attended senior leaders from the media industry. In 2009, C Squared acquired the leading brand M&M Global along with the M&M Global Awards. The company also owns Creamglobal, now the world's largest database of media innovation, and its bespoke technology serves many of the leading global agency groups and multinational advertisers. More information is available at www.csquared.cc.